Essentially it is suggesting the possibility that, if making false staements (such as complying with WADA or Tour or other rules relating to celan racing etc) in the course of getting US Fed funds (ie Postal Service sponsorship)

If a False Claims case can be proven, Armstrong and his teammates could be held liable for three times the actual monies that the Postal Service paid to sponsor his cycling teams. Armstrong and his crew would also be liable for civil penalties of between $5 and $11 thousand dollars for each false statement made in furtherance of securing funding.

Indeed, investigations amy already be underway without us or Lance even knowing it.

False Claims suits are filed under seal, and served on the United States Department of Justice. The government investigates the case while it is under seal and makes a decision about whether to join the whistleblower in the litigation. The law also allows for the government to initiate False Claims litigation even when there is no whistleblower.

Because these cases remain under seal, and thus secret during the government’s investigation, it is only a matter of speculation as to whether an actual suit has been filed against Armstrong and his teammates. Yet, given the facts that have come out already, observers should not rule out the day when a suit is unsealed and the US False Claims Act meets the sporting world.

Being in Lance's shoes must be a miserable place to be right now. There are threats everywhere it seems.

Last edited by ColinOldnCranky on Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

The biggest threat to Mr. Armstrong’s wealth is a False Claims Act lawsuit against him and Tailwind Sports, the limited liability corporation that owned his team. The Wall Street Journal reported in late 2010 that Floyd Landis, a former teammate of Mr. Armstrong’s and another Tour de France winner who was stripped of his title over doping, had filed a whistle-blower lawsuit under the False Claims Act alleging that the government — the Postal Service, in this case — had been defrauded. The suit remains sealed while the Justice Department decides whether to act on it.

Such delays are common, said Michael Sullivan, head of the whistle-blower practice group at Finch McCranie, a law firm in Atlanta. And the Justice Department has great latitude on how long it can take to bring a suit, if it ever does.

Mr. Sullivan said the government would not have to prove that Mr. Armstrong used the Postal Service’s money to buy performance-enhancing drugs for his team. “You could simply say they were making false statements to get the money from the U.S. government,” he said. “You could say they were doping, knew they were prohibited from doping and went ahead with it anyway.”

ColinOldnCranky wrote:Being in Lance's shoes must be a miserable place to be right now. There are threats everywhere it seems.

He brought it on himself... no pity from me. But if he gets away with it, I say good on him. Lot worse people have gotten away with millions deceptively... GFC, Enron etc. If you guys knew what type of salary one of our execs at my workplace gets away with but more importantly, now he got it, Lance is a gem compared.

Yeah, I had some thoughts about all this money/sponsorship/contract stuff when LA came out a few months ago with the famous "I'm not gonna fight it anymore" press statement...

My thoughts at the time where:

1. LA says he was sick of fighting doping allegation and would stop fighting

2. But if the doping allegations were proven correct (or weren't defended) then wouldn't this just lead to LOTS of other legal actions....

3. Legal actions to reclaim prize money, will sponsors sue for the return of bonuses paid/performance bonuses which were provided based on winning, will sponsors sue for damage to the brand, did sponsor contracts have clauses which would result in claims against LA because of flasified performance/comments/illegal activity, will rave directors demand prize-money and appearance fees be returned, what about management companies and products he endorsed ... and so on and so on...

I guess my thoughts were that he HAD to be innocent, because he wouldn't risk giving up one fight if it simply resulted in a whole lot of other battles coming to his doorstep....

It seems to me that this is going to be a long, drawn out affair - which will only be saved if former sponsors and others he had contracts/agreements with are willing to settle with out of court dealings...... although I am sure there are a few who would like to drag it through the courts .... even just to make a point...

LA was stupid to think this would never catch up with him, and whilst there may be lots of battles for him I am sure that he has a few million tucked away under a mattress somewhere and will live the life of a king happily ever after.

I also wonder what he would get if he entered into an exclusive tell-all book deal, with appropriate movie to be made, linked to a set of scheduled, detail revealing interviews (and LA/Livestrong branded syringes and blood transfusion gear).

The biggest threat to Mr. Armstrong’s wealth is a False Claims Act lawsuit against him and Tailwind Sports, the limited liability corporation that owned his team. The Wall Street Journal reported in late 2010 that Floyd Landis, a former teammate of Mr. Armstrong’s and another Tour de France winner who was stripped of his title over doping, had filed a whistle-blower lawsuit under the False Claims Act alleging that the government — the Postal Service, in this case — had been defrauded. The suit remains sealed while the Justice Department decides whether to act on it.

Such delays are common, said Michael Sullivan, head of the whistle-blower practice group at Finch McCranie, a law firm in Atlanta. And the Justice Department has great latitude on how long it can take to bring a suit, if it ever does.

Mr. Sullivan said the government would not have to prove that Mr. Armstrong used the Postal Service’s money to buy performance-enhancing drugs for his team. “You could simply say they were making false statements to get the money from the U.S. government,” he said. “You could say they were doping, knew they were prohibited from doping and went ahead with it anyway.”

I struggle to see how USPS was defrauded. They were given a price that they were willing to pay, and the results and exposure that they wanted.

Lukeyboy wrote:Looks like a camera phone photo taken with panorama settings enabled rather than a professional photo with a wide angle lens.

Probably an iPhone photo using its built-in panorama feature.

My kids' Samsung galaxy phone has a far greater camera function than any apple . Actually the whole phone works better thence iPhone5.Lance though, I would imagine would have squirreled his money away into avenues that couldn't be touched, except by a bitter wife maybe [FACE THROWING A KISS][FACE WITH STUCK-OUT TONGUE AND WINKING EYE]

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